Driven Snowe

As a relatively new reader of romance novels, I typically stick with what I know- I usually buy books by Linda Howard, since I know for the most part that I won't be disappointed (especially since the few times I've deviated from her books, I've been disappointed so far). But Cathy Yardley is an exception. "The Driven Snowe," begins with a fairly far-fetched plot. Mousy librarian Angela Snowe is tired of being a virgin, so she meets up with playboy Josh Montgomery (whose reputation she learned about in high school). Surprise, surprise, Angela turns out to be a little sex kitten beneath the mousy appearance, and Josh is smitten. But "The Driven Snowe" goes on to develop the characters much further. The obstacles keeping them from being together are realistic, and their lives are realistically complicated. Of course, this being a romance novel, they wind up together in the end, but the development of the book is not formulaic. I found myself rooting for them, even though I knew they would be together in the end.If you enjoy your romance highly steamy, this is well worth the read!

The characters come to life from page one.At the end you want to know what happened to them in the future and how they made it work.Excellent book for a lazy Sunday afternoon and great escapism.

Every Harlequin line has the challenge of living up to the primary focus of the line (suspense in Intrigue, humor in Duets, etc.) while still managing a well-developed romance and believable, well-rounded characters. The challenge of Blaze is to balance erotic sensuality with likeable characters and a plausible romance. "The Driven Snowe" by Cathy Yardley is one of the best Blaze offerings I've read.The romance between Angela and Josh is incredibly well-developed and credible, and it evolves at a reasonable, adult pace. While I enjoy "everything's all happy in Love Land even though the characters have only known one another a week" romances, I really appreciated that Yardley gave Angela and Josh's relationship the time to mature.Even more, I appreciated that the barriers to their happiness were credible ones, based not on misunderstanding or jumping to conclusions or any of the myriad of reasons that we see in romance novels, but on real emotions and defense mechanisms.The only weakness I see in "Snowe" is that the love scenes, while erotic, don't really do anything to separate "Snowe" out from the crowd. Unlike another reviewer, I didn't see Josh's fear of commitment and need to control the situation as requiring an explanation. To me, they were simply normal human reactions to falling in love.I read and enjoyed Yardley's last offering, the Duets book "The Cinderella Solution," but "Snowe" is definitely a step up in Yardley's evolution as a writer. I am, quite frankly, staggered that this is her second published novel.I truly recommend this to anyone looking for a well-developed romance. Enjoy!

They agree from the beginning that they will share a sexual arrangement, not a relationship. Yet sexy corporate tycoon Josh Montgomery finds himself in the town's library seeking an old yearbook, scanning for Angela's name when she leaves his bed without a word, a note, or a phone number. Accustomed to being pursued, Josh finds the reversal attractive, if unnerving. The crumbs she tosses about herself and her past only whet his appetite, leaving him hungering for more, despite his efforts to draw Angela out. He does, however, manage to extract a commitment to six months of mind altering, fantastic sex.Librarian Angela Snowe is twenty-nine and a virgin when she propositions Josh. She only knew him by his sizzling reputation and glimpses from a distance. But his reputation promises exactly what she needs - a night of passion with no commitment. She'd read the books and knew what to expect from initiating a relationship based on sex. When he tracks her down, it takes some persuasion to convince Angela to work him in between her new classes and new busy social calendar. After all, she focused on personal growth, not starting a relationship. Worse, while he's providing charm and romance -- she really just wants him between the sheets. Author Cathy Yardley gleefully switches traditional sex roles in THE DRIVEN SNOWE. While the sexy hero wonders how he became the woman in the relationship, Angela brightly breezes out the door maintaining the light hearted approach they agreed upon, leaving the reader in stitches. Josh is accustomed to being in control, and this relationship novice lifts that control right out of his hands. In addition, kudos for making a food processor romantic - this reviewer didn't think it could be done! Indeed, THE DRIVEN SNOW is one of those rare romances that is both fiery passionate and tenderly endearing. Smart dialogue and heated love scenes live up to high expectations in this Blaze release. Readers won't be able to put it down! Very highly recommended.